Ministers asked to intervene over £85m rail link bridge that could cut access to former Liverpool Road station

Ministers have been asked to step in over fears a new £85m bridge will sever the world’s oldest train station from the rail network. Bosses at Network Rail are consulting on plans to build the new bridge over the River Irwell in Castlefield to link Victoria and Piccadilly stations for the first time.

Ministers have been asked to step in over fears a new £85m bridge will sever the world’s oldest train station from the rail network. Bosses at Network Rail are consulting on plans to build the new bridge over the River Irwell in Castlefield to link Victoria and Piccadilly stations for the first time.

The so-called ‘Ordsall Chord’ is part of a £530m plan to improve the rail network around Manchester, known as the Northern Hub, which experts say would create 23,000 jobs and stimulate £4.2bn in economic benefits.

But there are fears it could mean that steam trains will no longer be able to access the former Liverpool Road station, which forms part of the Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI). That in turn could hit the museum’s funding.

Keith Whitmore, former chairman of the Transport for Greater Manchester Committee, has called on rail minister Norman Baker to intervene.

He said: “I’ve made it quite clear that a solution needs to be found to this. Common sense needs to prevail.

“This project is very important to the region, but it needs to be done in a way that benefits everybody and considers the heritage of the area.

“This is the oldest passenger railway station in the world and it’s going to look ridiculous for a modern railway to compromise its history in this way.”

A spokeswoman for MOSI said it supported the Northern Hub project but would be objecting to Network Rail’s proposed alignment of the bridge.

She said: “It will have a severe impact on MOSI’s visitors, its historic site, its day-to-day railway operations, its volunteers, its routine revenue generating activity, and its fund-raising ability.”

A spokesman for Network Rail said: “We continue to work very hard to minimise the impact we are having on the rich heritage in the area. We have amended the proposed alignment of the chord to minimise impact on the Grade I-listed structure.”

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